Conversation started after a few visits and Cherie asked what line of work I was in. I told her I owned a personal training facility in the area. She asked if I ran boot camps and I said, “No, we’re just private and semi-private personal training.” Apparently, one of my competitors had stopped in and tried to get her to join their boot camp classes. Not sure if the boot camp was unappealing or the person who approached her, but it wasn’t her cup of tea.

Then, we started talking shortly after my book came out and Cherie expressed interest in reading it. I brought a copy to her and told her I hoped she enjoyed it.

The next time we saw each other, Cherie had a lot more questions to ask about our services. She was interested in training but frankly, she was nervous. I could tell to some degree that her self-confidence was probably something she was struggling to improve.

Shortly thereafter, Cherie began her RevFit journey. She got off to a great start. We talked about what changes would need to be made with food and water. I let her decide which route she wanted to go to make her changes as easy as possible. With some small changes, she started dropping fat mass at a motivating rate.

After she dropped the first 10-15lbs, Cherie said that her daughter Aly might be calling me to get started as well. Personally, I love training family members. It can be a blessing and a curse. Depending on the goals of each respective member, sabotage can run rampant if one person doesn’t know how to keep another on track. That’s where it can help having a trainer to intervene and help get things back on course if life wants to get in the way (HINT: life always wants to get in the way.)

Aly got started with me too and while she was motivated to change her situation she didn’t initially seem quite as excited to make those changes like her mom did.

Cherie’s situation is both potentially good and bad. For one, she has everything at her disposal to eat the right foods, measured appropriately and kept practical. She also has unlimited exposure to massive pastry treats, sugary soda drinks and chips. Talk about temptation.

So the plan for both ladies was for each of them to start sending me pictures of what they were eating. Cherie was more devoted to this task than Aly was but to Aly’s credit once she got her mind wrapped around the right portions, she didn’t need to utilize the pictures anymore. Both ladies have been seeing really great results and I know the success of each continues to motivate the other.

I also have to give credit to our online community. Cherie and Aly have both allowed me to post pictures of their progress and tag them so others can see how well they’re doing. That’s the beauty of an online community. You can quickly see who is there to support you and use that motivation to keep you on the right path. Here again, Aly and Cherie have had the luxury of large support systems who want to see them succeed at their weight loss goals.

As of this writing, Cherie is down nearly 30lbs and Aly is down almost 20. The ride hasn’t been without its share of bumps and bruises though. Cherie has become painfully aware of what some of her trigger foods are and has had to learn how to navigate past them until she feels she has more control. Aly is enjoying the fun of being a 21-year old and the legal freedoms you get when you can loosen up and drink when the weekend rolls around.

Among the many great things, there is a new-found sense of confidence with them both. Depending on how much weight a person has to lose and where that weight is distributed on their frames, it can make many movements in the gym difficult, if not impossible (or just plain painful.) As they have continued to drop weight, I can see that they’re both far more aware of how their bodies move and, most importantly, how to move better.

Being on a weight loss journey is hard, in and of itself. Having to embark on the journey with a family member should be motivating and oftentimes it is. Pitfalls will come and I’ve been pleased to see how well Cherie and Aly have learned to roll with every obstacle in their path.

But I do believe that when it comes to weight loss within a family, the parents are the role models. They decide which influence they want their children to take. From the food that is purchased and consumed, to the choice of exercise or lack thereof. In this case, Mom knew best.

It’s never too late. You can always start with the next meal, not the next week or next month. Cherie and Aly both will tell you it hasn’t been a simple process but they have continued to succeed.

And as I was compiling my thoughts and notes for this article with Cherie and Aly’s permission, I was privy to something Cherie had never told anyone before.

Once upon a time, Cherie was the type of person who would have shame in what she ate. She believed that if she ate something and hid the wrapper, that maybe it never really happened. That shame would manifest itself over and over again in cycles that she couldn’t come to terms with. As she told me these words, she paused for a moment and said “I’ve never told anyone that. Not even my own family knows that. I think I will go home and admit that to them tonight.”

That, my friends, is true growth.

And, I believe it is realizations like this that will be pivotal in Cherie (and Aly’s) success.

We at RevFit are fortunate enough to experience these little miracles.

So, to Cherie and Aly both, thank you for letting us see your miracles.